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Spain-wide dog fighting ring originating in Andalucia brought down by police
The Almeria ringleader has been sentenced to 18 months behind bars for crimes of animal abuse
An Almeria man has been jailed for a year-and-a-half by a Madrid court and disqualified from owning animals after he was convicted of illegally breeding dangerous breeds for the purpose of dog fights. The gruesome activities stretch much further, however, and the criminal organisation running the barbaric ‘sporting’ events was operating all across Spain.
Operators in both Andalucia and Murcia have come under scrutiny from the National Police on several occasions in the past; in these regions, selectively breeding animals to preserve purity isn’t banned, but organising clandestine events where money changes hands, and any kind of animal abuse, is.
In this case, the Andalucian ringleader was tracked down to the ‘Canarian dogfighting convention’ in Tenerife in 2017, where several other breeders from around the country were also in attendance.
Sadly, officers from the Central Unit for Specialised and Violent Crime (UCDV) weren’t in time to save one pit bull, who had already been involved in a fight and badly injured. Rather than seeking veterinary attention, the owner broke its neck and stuffed the body in a plastic bag. The dog was still warn when the police found it.
The breeder from Almería was discovered with 2,100 euros in cash to allegedly use in illegal bets.
The National Police carried out searches on several properties and found that the owners were specifically breeding dangerous dogs, like pit bulls and Presa Canarias, to fight. One suspect in Alicante had set up a training centre complete with treadmills where he would feed the dogs a cocktail of drugs to make them more aggressive.
In addition to a lengthy prison term, the Almeria man has also been banned from owning pets for three years and five months.
Image: Policia Nacional
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